# Paul Ryan not running for re-election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 11, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210 "2018-04-11T12:35:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/101 "2018-04-12T13:54:56Z")
The Onion: [Entitled Deadbeat Finally Breaks Out Of 20-Year Cycle Of Government Dependency](https://politics.theonion.com/entitled-deadbeat-finally-breaks-out-of-20-year-cycle-o-1825185530) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/102 "2018-04-12T13:57:32Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > ISTM that you’re playing it both ways here. You’re correct that Congress is a co-equal branch of government, but that works in reverse too. The president has certain powers that are his by constitutional right. Most of what people seem to be complaining about (WRT Ryan’s approach to dealing with Trump) is that Ryan didn’t use his power in Congress to trump Trump’s presidential power. > > Beyond that, while it’s true from a constitutional standpoint that the congress and president have delineated powers, the reality is that the president has traditionally been accepted as the leader of his party, and this has a force of its own. > > And further beyond that, the fact is that Trump continues to have considerable support from Republican members of congress and from the Republican electorate. Ryan, unlike Trump, was not elected by the people to a set term from which he could only be removed by impeachment. He was elected by the House, and could be removed at their pleasure. He simply didn’t have the ability to disregard the opinions of his colleagues and (by extension) the voters.Per your own quote, those Republicans were simply messengers informing Nixon “that his support in Congress had all but disappeared”. It’s not like Nixon’s support in Congress disappeared because Goldwater et al bent Congress to their will. Nixon’s support disappeared, and these congresspeople recognized it one step ahead of Nixon, that’s all. That’s not at all comparable to the current situation, where Trump’s support has (unfortunately) not disappeared. This all seems to suggest that Ryan is merely a bystander in American politics and public opinion. He’s not. He was and still is an extremely major player, and could have been very influential, rhetorically speaking. If he had very openly, harshly, and consistently criticized Trump for various problematic, incompetent, and disgusting rhetoric and actions, that might have helped other Republicans in office find their courage to do so as well. He would have gotten a ton of pushback, of course, but that doesn’t absolve for failing to do the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/103 "2018-04-12T14:12:50Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Not really. He never wanted to be Speaker of the House and only accepted it to keep the Republican cohort from splintering (further) into warring factions. Now he can spend a couple of free years drumming up funds for his run for POTUS while he hopes that the short public memory will not link him to the current disaster come 2020. Yeah, my cheap shot at him aside, stepping stepping down and getting far from the maddening crowd is actually a good movie for Ryan, who has never been more than a reluctant Trump supporter and whose Randite ambitions are never going to be achieve in this congress despite Republican control of all three branches. Being Speaker of the House is a challenging job at the best of times and with interparty divisiveness spurred on by an in-name-only chief executive it is an entirely pointless job that was so stressful it apparently turned previous Speaker John Boehner into [a dirty hippie](https://www.thedailybeast.com/sure-420-money-helped-inspire-john-boehners-belated-cannabis-180-but-its-still-worth-applauding). And yes, public memory is short enough that Ryan can make a run for office in 2020 or 2022 and dismiss all criticisms as pertaining only to the “Old Paul Ryan” who has since remade himself. Although my initial thought was taking a run at President in 2020, I suspect there is going to be a massive scrum, particularly if Trump is not running for one reason or another, and it would make more sense to challenge for the Senate seat in a state that leans conservative (even if Wisconsinites seem to be getting their fill of Scott Walker) and promose reform from within, and then use that as a lever into a Presidential run in 2024. Or Ryan could just quit politics and go to work for some lobbying firm or conservative thinktank which would pay handsomely to have a former Speaker of the House on its brochure. But I think he actually enjoys politics, and he’s you, photogenic, and well-spoken enough to make a viable presidential candidate despite his reprehensible philosophy, and I’d be surprised if he isn’t positioning for a run at the title. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/104 "2018-04-12T14:14:48Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > This all seems to suggest that Ryan is merely a bystander in American politics and public opinion. > > He’s not. He was and still is an extremely major player, and could have been very influential, rhetorically speaking. If he had very openly, harshly, and consistently criticized Trump for various problematic, incompetent, and disgusting rhetoric and actions, that might have helped other Republicans in office find their courage to do so as well. He would have gotten a ton of pushback, of course, but that doesn’t absolve for failing to do the right thing. He wasn’t a bystander but he didn’t have a lot of power under the circumstances. If he had “openly, harshly, and consistently criticized Trump for various problematic, incompetent, and disgusting rhetoric and actions” he would have just been removed from office, that’s all. [In addition, Trump has continued to disintegrate as time went on. But earlier on, there was more hope that he would normal out as he learned the ropes and political realities - at that time, openly, harshly and consistently criticizing Trump might have been judged to be counterproductive in this regard. But my primary point is as above.] ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/105 "2018-04-12T14:21:23Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > 😕 I did do that. Fine, we get it. Can we drop it now, this has fuck-all to do with Paul Ryan’s retirement. You can even respond with “OK” just so you can have the last word. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/106 "2018-04-12T14:32:39Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Or Ryan could just quit politics and go to work for some lobbying firm or conservative thinktank which would pay handsomely to have a former Speaker of the House on its brochure. One of the only amusing things I ever heard Steve Bannon say was (paraphrasing) “Paul Ryan came from a test tube at the Heritage Foundation.” That would probably be a good place for him to land. According to Wiki, Ryan has a BA but not a law degree, so he’s not going to go into a legal practice. He could always hit the speaker circuit, getting thousands of dollars a night telling conservatives how repressed they are and complaining about liberal colleges. That never gets old. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/107 "2018-04-12T14:36:51Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > He wasn’t a bystander but he didn’t have a lot of power under the circumstances. If he had “openly, harshly, and consistently criticized Trump for various problematic, incompetent, and disgusting rhetoric and actions” he would have just been removed from office, that’s all. [_When danger reared/it’s ugly head He bravely turned/his tail and fled. Yes, Brave Sir Ryan/turned about And gallently/he chicked out. Bravely taking/to his feet, He beat a very/brave retreat. Bravest of the brave/Sir Ryan!_](https://youtu.be/jYFefppqEtE) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/108 "2018-04-12T14:39:21Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > He wasn’t a bystander but he didn’t have a lot of power under the circumstances. If he had “openly, harshly, and consistently criticized Trump for various problematic, incompetent, and disgusting rhetoric and actions” he would have just been removed from office, that’s all. It wouldn’t have been that simple. Further, you shouldn’t be that confident that you can predict how things would unfold after an unusual political event (a House Speaker harshly criticizing his own party’s nominee/president), IMO. It could have motivated other Republicans to join him, or even remove him as the nominee. It was the right thing to do, and he chose the wrong thing, even though the risk was high. He shouldn’t get a pass for doing the wrong thing. Doing the right thing could have lessened the damage to the country. > [@](#): > > [In addition, Trump has continued to disintegrate as time went on. But earlier on, there was more hope that he would normal out as he learned the ropes and political realities - at that time, openly, harshly and consistently criticizing Trump might have been judged to be counterproductive in this regard. But my primary point is as above.] This hope was not reasonable or rational. Even if it wasn’t clear to Ryan at the beginning, it should be now, that Trump is doing terrible damage to the country (and his party, for that matter), and yet he still doesn’t criticize him. He chose wrong at the beginning, and he’s continued to choose wrongly. He had a great moral responsibility, and failed utterly, over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/109 "2018-04-12T14:39:45Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > He wasn’t a bystander but he didn’t have a lot of power under the circumstances. If he had “openly, harshly, and consistently criticized Trump for various problematic, incompetent, and disgusting rhetoric and actions” he would have just been removed from office, that’s all. Well, sometimes that’s the price of acting with integrity, and in this case, the price for him personally would have been fairly minimal. He and his family will be, and would have been, well off now and in the future, regardless of which course he chose. I hope that after he retires from Congress, he and his family can enjoy a nice vacation. In [Wales](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLIsqYKDqY8), maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/110 "2018-04-12T14:46:44Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > One of the only amusing things I ever heard Steve Bannon say was (paraphrasing) “Paul Ryan came from a test tube at the Heritage Foundation.” That would probably be a good place for him to land. According to Wiki, Ryan has a BA but not a law degree, so he’s not going to go into a legal practice. He could always hit the speaker circuit, getting thousands of dollars a night telling conservatives how repressed they are and complaining about liberal colleges. That never gets old. Yes, but how does that help the poor by eliminating any social safety net and then insisting that poverty is a moral failing? Ryan is a true worshiper as the alter of Ayn Rand, and collecting speaking fees isn’t going to advance that sophomoric philosophy or preventing the impoverished from using their massive political influence and lobbying presence from taking trillions of dollars from the public purs…oh, sorry, that’s the financial industry. Never mind. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > He chose wrong at the beginning, and he’s continued to choose wrongly. He had a great moral responsibility, and failed utterly, over and over again. As Ryan’s Uncle Benji once told him, “With great moral flexibility comes great responsibily to weasel out of consequences.” He’s a superhero whose power is utter spinelessness. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/111 "2018-04-12T14:49:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Stranger** : > > But I think he actually enjoys politics, and he’s you,… Hey, I take offense at that! > [@](#): > > Quoth **Fotheringay-Phipps** : > > If he had “openly, harshly, and consistently criticized Trump for various problematic, incompetent, and disgusting rhetoric and actions” he would have just been removed from office, that’s all. You think that criticizing Trump is grounds for impeaching a member of Congress? Or maybe you just meant that he’d be removed from the Speakership, but remember that the reason he got that job to begin with was because nobody else wanted it. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/112 "2018-04-12T15:19:43Z")
Apparently, [there’s a faction of the House GOP that wants Ryan gone before the midterms.](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/12/paul-ryan-speaker-leadership-election-516854) Interestingly, they don’t include the Freedom Caucus. Freedom Caucus wants more time to woo members away from McCarthy, and an immediate resignation would hurt the chances of that happening. They’re rooting for the “longest speakership race in history.” ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/113 "2018-04-12T15:31:43Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Apparently, [there’s a faction of the House GOP that wants Ryan gone before the midterms.](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/12/paul-ryan-speaker-leadership-election-516854) Interestingly, they don’t include the Freedom Caucus. Freedom Caucus wants more time to woo members away from McCarthy, and an immediate resignation would hurt the chances of that happening. They’re rooting for the “longest speakership race in history.” Waiting until the next Congress to fight over the Minority Leader post is actually the smart move for the Freedumb Caucus – that way, Ryan still gets much of the blame for the fiasco, and the Republicans who survive the coming Blue Tsunami will be disproportionately the _really_ cray-cray ones from districts ruby-red enough to weather the storm. Of course, actually following that script requires them to put sound tactical planning ahead of personal ambition… ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/114 "2018-04-12T15:38:33Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Waiting until the next Congress to fight over the Minority Leader post is actually the smart move for the Freedumb Caucus – that way, Ryan still gets much of the blame for the fiasco, and the Republicans who survive the coming Blue Tsunami will be disproportionately the _really_ cray-cray ones from districts ruby-red enough to weather the storm. > > Of course, actually following that script requires them to put sound tactical planning ahead of personal ambition… Plus, it’s kinda adorable that they think that if Ryan serves until the end of his term, that it’ll still be a “speakership race” the GOP’s engaged in. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/115 "2018-04-12T16:16:22Z")
What exactly is the base of support for the two leading contenders? Politically there doesn’t look like there’s much difference between Scalise and McCarthy but I haven’t really followed them. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/116 "2018-04-12T16:18:29Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > What exactly is the base of support for the two leading contenders? Politically there doesn’t look like there’s much difference between Scalise and McCarthy but I haven’t really followed them. I gather that McCarthy is the Freedumb Caucus favorite while Scalise has more traction with the rest of the party. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/117 "2018-04-12T16:26:10Z")
What \*is \*the rest of the party anymore? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/118 "2018-04-12T16:29:56Z")
> [@2nd\_Law](#): > > [Axios story.](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/11/axios-issues-alert-house-speaker-paul-ryan-not-seek-reelection-november/506165002/) > > I suspect he doesn’t want to be minority leader next term. According to the linked story - \*“This is a job that does not last forever,” Ryan said at a news conference in Washington Wednesday morning, saying his desire to spend more time with his wife and three teenage kids was the main factor in his decision, and denying that his party’s cloudy election outlook played a role. “If I’m here for one more term, my kids will only have known me as a weekend dad. I just can’t let that happen,” he said. Rumors of Ryan’s departure had abounded in recent months, fueled by private conversations about his future, the short shelf life of a speaker’s tenure, his reluctance to become speaker in the first place, his differences with Trump, the possibility of a Democratic wave this fall and the absence of a formal re-election announcement.\* The lame stream media has been discussing Ryan’s not running for reelection, or for another term as Speaker, for many, many months. Now they “appear” shocked at this “sudden” announcement. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/119 "2018-04-12T16:33:30Z")
If they got it right, how is that “lame”? The truly lame media is the faction that _didn’t_ discuss it, hmm? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210/120 "2018-04-12T16:39:30Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > I gather that McCarthy is the Freedumb Caucus favorite while Scalise has more traction with the rest of the party. On the contrary. McCarthy is something of a moderate (relatively speaking, of course), which is what torpedoed his chances at speaker when Boehner resigned; the Freedom Caucus blocked him. Paul Ryan was the compromise. Incidentally, McCarthy’s also fairly close with Trump. I don’t think the FC has a clear favorite right now, other than probably one of their own, or at least a very right-wing member of Congress. That’s why they don’t like the idea of Ryan resigning before his term ends; having him serve it out gives them time to find someone to throw their weight behind besides McCarthy, the presumed front-runner for speaker/minority leader. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-not-running-for-re-election/812210.md?page=7)